Chapter 3

Xin Yuanzhou tried to stand up, but found severe pain in his legs and his face turned pale instantly.

He pointed to his leg, his tone somewhat helpless, “My leg is injured. I’m afraid I can’t walk for a while.”

Xin Yuanzhou took out a piece of wet paper from his pocket and handed it to Yu Shiying. “This is a map. Take it with you. Once you find the way, you can get out quickly.”

Yu Shiying looked at the map in his hand, her heart struggling. She wanted to turn around and leave immediately. After all, this man was a mean-spirited person and very annoying.

But when she caught a glimpse of Xin Yuanzhou’s pale face and his injured leg, she realized that if a flash flood really hit, an injured person left alone in such a dangerous environment would be in great danger. Wouldn’t her rescue just now have been in vain?

Reason told her that no matter how annoying this person was, it was always safer for two people to take care of each other than for one person to go on alone.

Besides, he’s a soldier. Even if he’s weaker, he can’t be worse than me. If we encounter any danger, one more person means more strength.

Yu Shiying took the initiative to step forward and help him up: “Let me support you, you find the way, and we will walk together.”

Xin Yuanzhou was slightly stunned, but then nodded in agreement without any pretense.

The two supported each other and walked along the muddy path with difficulty. Xin Yuanzhou limped and walked with difficulty, but he did not forget to remind Yu Shiying to pay attention to her feet from time to time.

They both picked up a handy branch and walked for about two hours before they finally heard voices.

The mist hadn’t completely dissipated yet, and the orange silhouettes of the rescue team stood out against the layers of dark green. They shouted as they searched quickly along the mountain path, their voices echoing in the empty valley.

Xin Yuanzhou felt relieved and shouted, “I’m here.”

Several rescue team members were the first to spot Xin Yuanzhou standing on the muddy road and quickened their pace to run over.

They asked about his condition one after another, some supported him, some checked his injuries, their faces filled with a mixture of joy and worry.

“Captain Xin, how is it?”

“I’m fine. Did the ranger rescue me?”

“Report to the captain, the forest ranger found it last night, and all the villagers have been evacuated. The mission has been successfully completed.” A soldier saluted him with a standard military salute.

“Okay, let’s pack up then.”

“Yes.” More than a dozen soldiers answered at the same time.

Yu Shiying was a little surprised. This man was a captain?

An old villager with wrinkles on his face walked quickly over, held Xin Yuanzhou’s hands tightly with both hands, tears of gratitude flashing in his eyes.

“Thank you for your hard work, it’s really hard!” The old man’s voice choked with sobs. “If you hadn’t arrived in time and allowed us to evacuate, this flash flood would have claimed the lives of many people in our village.”

“Village Chief Qiu, this is what we should do.” He gently pulled his hand away and glanced at Yu Shiying beside him. “It’s just that my legs are not very convenient right now, and I have to rush back to the team to report. Can you find someone to take this girl to the infirmary to treat her wounds?”

Only then did Yu Shiying notice the wound on her arm.

Bright red blood slowly seeped out from the abrasion. Because Xin Yuanzhou had been supported all the way, the scabbed wound had opened again.

She stepped forward and said hello: “Hello, village chief. I am Yu Shiying, a student at Hangzhou Teachers College. I got separated from my classmates on an outing yesterday and was trapped by heavy rain all night. I met the team leader this morning.”

“I don’t know if there’s a phone in the village. I want to let my family know I’m safe.”

“It’s Yu.” Village Chief Qiu told Yu Shiying that her classmate had already gone back to report the incident to the school. “You and Mrs. Zhang should go to the health center first. There’s a phone number there. When the rain stops, I’ll have Qiaomei take you back to the city on her bicycle.”

“Thank you, Village Chief Qiu.”

In the 1990s, landline telephones were rare, and it was not possible to install one in an entire village.

Hangzhou is a prosperous city and the collective economy of the surrounding villages is also good, so they installed telephones in the health center. After all, the health center is a place that saves lives and is of paramount importance.

He even offered to ride a bicycle to take her there. What a caring and kind village chief.

Yu Shiying was about to leave with Mrs. Zhang, but was stopped by Xin Yuanzhou.

“Classmate Yu, please be careful and don’t wander around alone.

His tone was somewhat didactic. “As an adult, you should be responsible for your own actions and not burden others. And thank you.”

Yu Shiying couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she listened to this lecture. This guy really was bossing her around from beginning to end. He was only a few years older than her, yet he insisted on acting like an elder.

Is there any need for him to talk nonsense here? Moreover, if she hadn’t taken the initiative to stay and support him, he would still be lying in the mountains.

This tone of lecturing people after the fact makes people feel uncomfortable, just like an old cadre.

“Captain Xin, right? I accept your thanks, but as for the lecture, I’ll spare you the sermon. You don’t understand the situation, and I’m not wandering around casually.”

Yu Shiying raised her chin and uttered one last sentence before turning around: “I’m not your soldier, so you don’t have to act like a political instructor in front of me. Goodbye.”

Yu Shiying held her head high and chest out, then turned around and left without looking back.

The soldier standing by, supporting Xin Yuanzhou, was stunned, his jaw dropping to the ground. He swallowed involuntarily and glanced at his captain.

“This girl… is really pretty, but she’s a little too bold.” He muttered to himself.

As a taxi driver who had just joined the army for less than two years, he was well aware of Captain Xin’s reputation in the army. He was the “Devil Captain” who even veterans were afraid of!

Captain Xin always has a stern face and sharp eyes on the training ground, and he never shows any mercy during training.

The new recruits all said privately that their legs went weak when they stood in front of him.

Captain Xin, who became the captain of the armed police squadron at a young age, is the one who can make the entire squadron walk five kilometers on their knees.

Even the veterans who had served in the regiment for several years didn’t dare to breathe when they saw him.

“It’s over, it’s over, the captain will definitely be angry…” The soldier shrank his neck and muttered to himself: You can’t see me, you can’t see me.

However, unexpectedly, Xin Yuanzhou, who usually had a cold face, did not show any anger at this moment. Instead, he looked at the figure that was walking away thoughtfully.

Xin Yuanzhou was also confused, “Am I too harsh?” Xin Yuanzhou frowned, recalling the captain’s reminder.

The habits developed in the army may not be suitable for use in local areas.

Especially to a girl who had just saved him.